Gurri (ˈɡuːɾi)
"That is a lot of sand..." - a common observation from those visiting Gurri for the first time
Gurri is an island in the Southern Region. It is the largest sand island in the Great Ring, with over six hundred square miles almost completely made of sand. It is the home of the Batjala people, who are distant cousins of the Tāngata.
It is a remote island, far from the common routes used by merchant vessels, and few people ever visit. This is compounded by the fact that Tyrdur the Lost neglected to include the island in his grand atlas, an error which has been repeated many times. Some people claim that Gurri is nothing more than a legend, but enough people have stumbled across it to prove its existence.
Notable Spirits
The Batjala have stories of many gods and spirits, but there are two major entities who are honored above all. The first of these is called Mundu, who is the spirit of the waters around Gurri. In the times before Gurri existed, Mundu was a god of the empty seas, and was lonely. One day, a woman named Gurriyara emerged from The Dream and was cast into Mundu's empty waters to drown. Mundu chose to reach down to the ocean floor and draw up some rock that Gurriyara could stand upon, but the stones only raised her head and shoulders out of the water. So Mundu then reached into The Dream itself to pull in invisible rivers that would carry dirt and sand to pile upon the rocks, and shortly the island of Gurri formed under Gurriyara's feet. The woman and the god then spoke to each other, and Mundu made a body from sand and salt so that they could live together on the shores of the island. They had many children, who are half of the ancestors of the Batjala, and when Gurriyara died, Mundu caught her soul and wove it into the island where they had lived, making a goddess of her. To this day, the Batjala celebrate the love of Mundu and Gurriyara, and consider the places where sea and land meet to be sacred to them.
Geography
Gurri is about 75 miles long, and 14 miles wide. It is made up entirely of sand, although the origin of it appears to be a mystery. According to the Batjala, there are invisible rivers in The Dream that deposit the sand in this location.
Despite being made entirely of sand, the island has several thriving ecosystems including rainforests and mangrove swamps. Even the sand dunes host a surprising amount of plant life, which the Batjala ascribe to a divine fungus that permeates the sand of the island. Along with the plants, there are several species of animal who live on the island, including birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Mammals other than humans are not common, with the largest example being the Gurri long-nosed bat.
Geographic Details
Location: Southern RegionLatitude: 10.06 degrees North
Longitude: 22.8 degrees West
Average Elevation: 36 ft
Highest Point: 1,257 ft
Lowest Point: -7 ft
Area: 639 sq mi
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